Maia grew up in Minnesota and attended school in Michigan and considers herself Midwestern through and through. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, Maia performed thesis research in Mayan archaeology in Belize. Her experiences studying anthropology at home and in Central America helped shape her understanding of the volatile relationships between human societies and the environment in the past and today. This work inspired her search for solutions to climate change and environmental degradation that would also answer the social justice problems we face today. She is especially excited about the potential for the Midwest to transition to an economy that takes advantage of the agricultural, manufacturing, water, and wind resources we share in the Midwest. She has been a member of the National Council of the Student Environmental Action Coalition and helped to host statewide conferences and retreats through the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition. She has been a strong leader on campus, bringing social justice and environmental groups together around shared goals.